Sofia Eduardo Garay is a recent graduate of Contra Costa College and will attend UC Davis in the fall. She is a 2021 graduate of De Anza High School and plans to major in Psychology at UC Davis.

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Is there anything in particular that motivates you as you go through college and prepare yourself for a career?

A: What motivates me the most is my mom, for always emphasizing the value of learning and pursuing my education. No matter how anxious I become about trying new things, she has always encouraged me to explore new possibilities for learning. Her influence has taught me to pursue educational opportunities, and use them to help overcome my anxiety and always strive to be my best self.

Q: How has Richmond Promise played a role in your education?

A: Within the program, I got to meet numerous mentors who were just as enthusiastic as I was to collaborate with them. All of the resourceful information I learned from Richmond Promise motivated me to keep influencing people the same way I had been influenced. Since then, I knew my journey would be devoted to helping students find their best selves while focusing both on themselves and their academics while taking advantage of Richmond Promise’s wide variety of available financial and instructional resources. This program helped me grow as a person and learn the core values of contributing to my community.

Q: Why did you choose to be a Richmond Promise Summer Associate and what are you hoping to take from the experience?

A: I’m hoping to gain confidence and learn more about college preparedness. I chose to be a summer associate after participating in college related cohorts (mentorship programs) and discovering a variety of community-building opportunities available there. Additionally, since I am pursuing a career in an area that is related to therapy and counseling, I see this as a fantastic chance for me to improve my interpersonal communication abilities. Through this, I’ll be able to simplify complicated college related concepts and issues that confront aspiring college students.

Q: What do you want to contribute to Richmond and/or the world?

A: What I want to contribute to Richmond is helping students gain an understanding to never let a lack of confidence stop them from seizing opportunities that come their way. I want to inspire students to pursue their goals with confidence and develop skills they can use for the rest of their life, just like I did. I aim to motivate students by sharing what I’ve accomplished through the Richmond Promise program and showing them how to advance through college with a positive mindset.

Q: Can you tell us about your current college experience?

A. The most significant change so far was making the switch from high school to college. This was due to my lack of exposure and preparedness for college before starting the school year. I never participated in college prep workshops in high school, which only made me feel less confident and discouraged me from signing up for any programs. My chances of getting into college were improved by joining mentorship/scholarship programs that frequently emphasized how to project competence and have worthy networking skills.

Q: What are you looking forward to after receiving your bachelor’s/transferring?

A: I’m looking forward to making decisions and leading them with more assurance to develop my independence even more. I’m excited to keep progressing toward achieving my goals as I work to complete my bachelor’s degree in psychology at UC Davis. After that, I plan to pursue a master’s degree to work as either a marriage and family therapist or a college counselor.